Deep Ocean Mission: Rs 4,000 crore allocated to help India

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Hope you all are safe and doing well.

Today, we are here to discuss the Deep Ocean Mission which was in the news recently. The Deep Ocean Mission was pending for a long time and was finally approved by the Union Cabinet on 16th June 2021. In this blog, we will cover the Deep Ocean Mission in great detail. We will start by understanding what the mission is all about, its objectives, and its key components. Later, we will talk about the significance of the mission. So if you are inquisitive to know all these details, read the blog till the end. 

Now let’s start by discussing what this mission is all about.

About the Deep Ocean Mission

The Deep Ocean Mission was recently approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to undertake deep ocean exploration. Key points related to the mission are:

• The mission is in process since 2018 and is expected to cost ₹4,077 crores over the next five years. 
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional mission.
• The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by ISRO.
• Underwater robotics and ‘manned’ submersibles are key components of this Mission.
• Tasks such as deep-sea mining, survey, energy exploration and offshore-based desalination will be undertaken under the mission.
• The technological developments done for the Deep Ocean Mission will be funded by the Government scheme- O-SMART¹. 

Aims and Objectives of Deep Ocean Mission

• To study and explore the deepwater bodies in our country for undiscovered minerals, stones, living or non-living entities.
• One of the main aims of the mission is to explore and extract Polymetallic nodules (PMN)².
• To explore India’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ)³ and Continental Shelf.
• To study and conduct research on the climatic changes in the Ocean.

Key Components of the Deep Ocean Mission

The Deep Ocean Mission consists of six major components:

1. Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible: A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people. They will be taken to a depth of 6,000 m in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools. An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the Indian Ocean.

2. Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand climate variations in the ocean.

3. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: Focused on Bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep-sea bio-resources.

4. Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: To explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.

5. Energy and freshwater from the Ocean: Engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants will be made.

6. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: This component is aimed at developing human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering. This component will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities.

Since we have covered all the important points about the mission above, now let’s discuss the significance of the Deep Ocean Mission.

Significance of the Deep Ocean Mission for India

• The mission will give a boost to efforts to explore India’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf.
• The plan will enable India to develop capabilities to exploit resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).
• Given the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, the mission will help India to get hold of the South-Asia region.
• It will give the required boost to the Blue Economy⁴ in the country. Marine resources from the Indian Ocean would serve as the backbone of India’s economic growth. It can also help India to become a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2022. 
• The exploration of minerals will pave the way for the commercial exploitation of minerals such as cobalt, zinc, and rare earth materials. These minerals help the electronic industries of the country.
• The mission will also explore the possibilities of harnessing energy
• It will help in studying the impact of climate change on the ocean. This would help India to prepare for any disaster due to climate change.
• The mission is along the line of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14). SDG 14 calls to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

We have covered all the major aspects of the Deep Ocean Mission. Now, let’s learn about some terms which are used in the blog and are important from an exam point of view. 

Important Terms related to Deep Ocean Mission

1. O-SMART: O-SMART stands for Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science. O-SMART is an umbrella scheme that aims at regulated use of oceans, marine resources for sustainable development.

2. Polymetallic nodules (PMN): Polymetallic nodules are potato-shaped, largely porous nodules found in abundance in the deep sea. They are also known as manganese nodules. Besides manganese and iron, they contain nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, etc which are of economic and strategic importance.

3. Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ): A zone in the sea prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over which a country has certain rights for the exploration of marine resources. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 2.37 million sq. kilometer, and most part of it lies unexplored and undiscovered. 

4. Blue Economy: Blue economy is a term in economics relating to the exploitation, preservation and regeneration of the marine environment. According to the World bank, the Blue Economy is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health”.

With this, we come to the end of this blog. We have discussed all the relevant information about the Deep Ocean Mission in this blog. We hope you will find this blog interesting and informative. For more such interesting blogs, stay tuned!